Catholic catechesis

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The role of a Catholic catechist is to catechize (teach; variant spelling is catechise [1] ) the faith of the Catholic Church by both word and example. The Directory for Catechesis states that faith must be "known, celebrated, lived, and turned into prayer" in a personal and total encounter of the heart, mind and senses with Christ. [2] St. John Paul II describes the aim of catechesis as putting "people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ." [3]

Contents

The Directory for Catechesis describes the catechist as "a Christian who receives a particular calling from God that, when accepted in faith, empowers him for the service of transmission of the faith and for the task of initiating others into the Christian life." [4]

Catechizing

To catechize means to teach: more specifically, to teach by word of mouth. [5] Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the chief catechists at the parish level were priests, religious brothers or sisters. Since the late 20th century, particularly in Europe and the Americas, increasingly the role of the parish catechist has been undertaken by the Catholic laity. [6] In addition to activities in the parish, catechizing also takes place in Catholic schools through more formal classes as part of the curriculum.

Catechists are often deployed to teach candidates who are preparing for the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Baptism (after completing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA). Various age-appropriate religious education texts and materials are used for instruction in addition to the Catechism of the Catholic Church .

Catechists have always been of particular importance in large geographical parishes, such as in Africa, where priests have historically only been able to visit different parts of their parish periodically. In the priest's absence, the parish catechist takes on the role of being the main teacher of the faith in that parish. As such they are afforded a particular place of honor within their parish community. [7]


General Instruction of the Roman Missal

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal allows for institution of catechists should a particular Bishops' Conference feel that it is required.[ citation needed ]

A Bishops' Conference may request permission from the Apostolic See:

...if they judge the establishment of such offices in their region to be necessary or very useful because of special reasons. To these belong, for example, the ministries of porter, exorcist, catechist, as well as others to be conferred on those who are dedicated to works of charity, where this ministry had not been assigned to deacons. [8]

Guide for Catechists

In 1993 the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith) published the Guide for Catechists, with the sub-heading Document of vocational, formative and promotional orientation of Catechists in the territories dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. [9]

This document was therefore intended only for catechists at work in the missionary territories of the Church. It also made a very specific distinction between the catechists working in these areas and catechists at work in "older Churches" such as in the West. As such the detailed framework and structure this document outlines for the selection, formation, oversight and deployment of catechists within the "mission territories" has not necessarily been applied to catechists at work elsewhere within the Catholic Church.[ citation needed ]

The Introduction to this document states:

The Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples experiences directly the undisputed effectiveness of lay catechists. Under the direction of priests, in fact, they continue with frankness to announce "the Good News" to their brothers and sisters of other religions, preparing them for entry into the ecclesial community through baptism. Through religious instruction, preparation for the sacraments, animation of prayer and other works of charity, they help the baptised to grow in the fervour of the Christian life. Where there is a shortage of priests, the catechists are also entrusted with the pastoral guidance of the little community separated from the Centre. Often, they are called to witness to their faith by harsh trials and painful privations.The history of evangelisation past and present attests to their constancy even to the giving of life itself. Catechists are truly the pride of the missionary Church! [9]

Note with Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith

On 6 January 2012, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith. [10] This document provided explanation and suggestions at different levels for parishioners in preparation for the Year of Faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI with the apostolic letter of 11 October 2011 Porta fidei. The Year of Faith began on 11 October 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. It was scheduled to end on 24 November 2013, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King. [10]

This note made the following recommendations in relation to catechists:

At the diocesan level

2. It would be desirable that each Diocese in the world organize a study day on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, particularly for its priests, consecrated persons and catechists. [10]

5. It would be appropriate for each particular Church to review the reception of Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church in its own life and mission, particularly in the realm of catechesis. This would provide the opportunity for a renewal of commitment on the part of the catechetical offices of the Dioceses which – supported by the Commissions for Catechesis of the Episcopal Conferences – have the duty to care for the theological formation of catechists. [10]

At the parish level

4. Catechists should hold more firmly to the doctrinal richness of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and, under the direction of their pastors, offer guidance in reading this precious document to groups of faithful, working toward a deeper common understanding thereof, with the goal of creating small communities of faith, and of giving witness to the Lord Jesus. [10]

Recognition of the ministry of catechist

There is increasing awareness, acknowledgement and recognition by the Church hierarchy of the important role catechists play in the life of the Catholic Church, and with it the responsibilities the Church has towards them. The latter is clear from the explicit reference in the Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith highlighting the "duty of care" each local Bishop has towards the theological formation of the catechists at work within their diocese. [10]

On 11 May 2021, Pope Francis instituted the ministry of catechist with the apostolic letter and Motu proprio entitled Antiquum Ministerium. [11]

Pope Francis has approved and published an Editio typica [typical edition] that introduces a specific Rite of Institution of Catechists that can be used after 1 January 2022. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Roman Curia comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use of in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office and universal mission in the world. It is at the service of the Pope, successor of Peter, and of the Bishops, successors of the Apostles, according to the modalities that are proper to the nature of each one, fulfilling their function with an evangelical spirit, working for the good and at the service of communion, unity and edification of the Universal Church and attending to the demands of the world in which the Church is called to fulfill its mission.

<i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> Summary of doctrine of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a reference work that summarizes the Catholic Church's doctrine. It was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 as a reference for the development of local catechisms, directed primarily to those responsible for catechesis and offered as "useful reading for all other Christian faithful". It has been translated into and published in more than twenty languages worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catechism</span> Summary or exposition of doctrine

A catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals – often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorised – a format that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well. According to Norman DeWitt, the early Christians appropriated this practice from the Epicureans, a school whose founder Epicurus had instructed to keep summaries of the teachings for easy learning. The term catechumen refers to the designated recipient of the catechetical work or instruction. In the Catholic Church, catechumens are those who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Traditionally, they would be placed separately during Holy Mass from those who had been baptized, and would be dismissed from the liturgical assembly before the Profession of Faith and General Intercessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church</span> Largest Christian church, led by the Pope

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2019. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The bishopric of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small enclave of the Italian city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Use</span> Roman Rite liturgical use of former Anglicans in the Catholic Church

The Anglican Use, also known as Divine Worship, is a use of the Roman Rite celebrated by the personal ordinariates, originally created for former Anglicans who converted to Catholicism while wishing to maintain "aspects of the Anglican patrimony that are of particular value" and includes former Methodist converts to Catholicism who wish to retain aspects of Anglican and Methodist “heritage, liturgy, and tradition. Its most common occurrence is within parishes of the personal ordinariates which were erected in 2009. Upon the promulgation of Divine Worship: The Missal, and the term "Anglican Use" was replaced by "Divine Worship" in the liturgical books and complementary norms, though "Anglican Use" is still used to describe these liturgies as they existed from the papacy of John Paul II to present.

The Pastoral Provision is a set of practices and norms in the Catholic Church in the United States, by which bishops are authorized to provide spiritual care for Catholics converting from the Anglican tradition, by establishing parishes for them and ordaining priests from among them. The provision provides a way for individuals to become priests in territorial dioceses, even after Pope Benedict XVI's Anglicanorum Coetibus proclamation established the Personal Ordinariates, a non-diocesan mechanism for former Anglicans to join the Church.

Lay ecclesial ministry is the term adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to identify the relatively new category of pastoral ministers in the Catholic Church who serve the Church but are not ordained. Lay ecclesial ministers are coworkers with the bishop alongside priests and deacons. In other contexts, these may be known as "lay pastoral workers", "pastoral assistants", etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catechesis</span> Christian religious education

Catechesis is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the religion became institutionalized, catechesis was used for education of members who had been baptized as infants. As defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 5 :

Catechesis is an education in the faith of children, young people and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life.

The General Directory for Catechesis is a document written by the Congregation for the Clergy of the Catholic Church, based in Rome. That Congregation no longer has responsibility for the issues addressed in this document. In January 2013, its competency for catechisis was transferred to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass in the Catholic Church</span> Central liturgical ritual of the Catholic Church

The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, is present and offered in an unbloody manner". The Church describes the Mass as the "source and summit of the Christian life", and teaches that the Mass is a sacrifice, in which the sacramental bread and wine, through consecration by an ordained priest, become the sacrificial body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ as the sacrifice on Calvary made truly present once again on the altar. The Catholic Church permits only baptised members in the state of grace to receive Christ in the Eucharist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishops in the Catholic Church</span> Ordained ministers of the Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Church. Catholics trace the origins of the office of bishop to the apostles, who it is believed were endowed with a special charism and office by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Catholics believe this special charism and office has been transmitted through an unbroken succession of bishops by the laying on of hands in the sacrament of holy orders.

Pastor bonus is an apostolic constitution promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the central government of the Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church</span> One of the sacraments in the Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, the anointing of the sick, also known as Extreme Unction, is a Catholic sacrament that is administered to a Catholic "who, having reached the age of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age", except in the case of those who "persevere obstinately in manifest grave sin". Proximate danger of death, the occasion for the administration of Viaticum, is not required, but only the onset of a medical condition of serious illness or injury or simply old age: "It is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived."

A personal ordinariate for former Anglicans, shortened as personal ordinariate or Anglican ordinariate, is an ordinariate, a canonical structure within the Catholic Church established in order to enable "groups of Anglicans" and Methodists to join the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their liturgical and spiritual patrimony.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, also translated as Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia whose creation was announced by Pope Benedict XVI at vespers on 28 June 2010, eve of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, to carry out the New Evangelization. On 5 June 2022, the department was merged into the Dicastery for Evangelization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacraments of the Catholic Church</span> Catholic visible rites

There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which according to Catholic theology were instituted by Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church. Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to all those who receive them with the proper disposition.

A particular church is an ecclesiastical community of faithful headed by a bishop, as defined by Catholic canon law and ecclesiology. A liturgical rite, a collection of liturgies descending from shared historic or regional context, depends on the particular church the bishop belongs to. Thus "particular church" refers to an institution, and "liturgical rite" to its ritual practices.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the term minister is used with various meanings. Most commonly, the word refers to a person, either lay or ordained, who is commissioned to perform some act on behalf of the Catholic Church. It is not a particular office or rank of clergy, as is the case in some other Christian organisations; rather, minister may be used as a collective term for vocational or professional pastoral leaders including clergy and non-clergy. It is also used in reference to the canonical and liturgical administration of sacraments, as part of some offices, and with reference to the exercise of the lay apostolate.

The new evangelization is the particular process by which baptized members of the Catholic Church express the general Christian call to evangelization.

Spiritus Domini is an apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio by Pope Francis signed on 10 January 2021 and released the next day. It changed the 1983 Code of Canon Law to allow women to be admitted to the instituted ministries of acolyte and lector (reader), which had until then been exclusively available to men.

References

  1. "Definition of CATECHISE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  2. Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (2020). Directory for Catechesis. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. pp. 54–56. ISBN   9781601376695.
  3. "Catechesi Tradendae (October 16, 1979) | John Paul II". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  4. Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (2020). Directory for Catechesis. Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. p. 73. ISBN   9781601376695.
  5. "catechist", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 3 December 2020
  6. "FAQs". CARA. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  7. Sarr, Lucie (12 May 2021). "The central role of lay Catholic catechists in Africa". La Croix International. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  8. Ministeria Quaedam
  9. 1 2 "Guide for Catechists". vatican.va. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith, 6 January 2012". vatican.va. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  11. Antiquum ministerium on Vatican web site
  12. "Vatican produces liturgical rite for institution of catechists - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2023.